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Nightclub dancer charged in Hager City drug case

An investigation into drug activity at a Hager City strip club led to a felony charge against a dancer at the establishment.

A criminal complaint filed Sept. 11 in Pierce County Circuit Court states the 32-year-old woman sold a bag of marijuana to an informant for the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Prosecutors charged the woman, St. Paul resident Chantal A. Jenkins, with one count of THC delivery, a felony.

Jenkins' initial court appearance is set for Nov. 5.

According to the complaint, a confidential informant told a sheriff's investigator about buying drugs from a Border Lounge manager. The investigator dropped the informant off Jan. 5 at the club's parking lot with $300 worth of "buy" money.

Nearly two hours later, the informant texted to say he'd bought $40 worth of pot from a dancer who went by "Alexis," the complaint states.

The investigator debriefed the informant afterward, where, according to the charging document, he learned the informant first went to the suspected dealer, who told him to talk with "Alexis." The informant met the dancer in the club's dressing area, where "Alexis" pointed to a napkin on a table and instructed him to slowly put it in his pocket, the complaint states, which goes on to note the informant said the napkin concealed a bag of pot he bought for $40.

The informant showed the investigator a Facebook profile he believed belonged to the dancer. According to the complaint, the investigator was able to cross-reference the page with a business owned by Jenkins. The charging document states a Minnesota driver's license photo for Jenkins displays tattoos matching the Facebook profile of the woman identified by the informant.

The complaint states the manager originally sought in the sting never sold the informant drugs and was not arrested; state court records show no charges were filed against him.

Mike Longaecker is the regional public safety reporter for RiverTown Multimedia. His coverage area spans St. Croix and Pierce counties. Longaecker served from 2011-2015 as editor of the Woodbury Bulletin. A University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduate, Longaecker previously reported for the Red Wing Republican Eagle and for the Forum Communications Minnesota Capitol Bureau. You can follow him on Twitter at @Longaecker